5 Things About Nursing That Should Be Illegal

1. Rotating Shifts
   Most nurses in America work 12 hour shifts, and many are required to work both night shift and day shift often in the same week. Take my schedule, for example. This week I will work Tuesday day shift, Wednesday night shift, Thursday night shift, and then I’ll swing back to day shift on Sunday. It is nearly impossible to maintain a normal sleep schedule, and you live your life in a constant state of jet lag. It’s dangerous for not just nurses but also the patients we care for.
2. Minimal (if any) breaks
   I’ve worked at three different hospitals in North Carolina and the break policy has been the same at every one: during a 12 hour shift, nurses are allowed a 30 minute, unpaid lunch break. Keep in mind that nurses are required to find their own lunch coverage. If they are unable to find someone to cover their patients, they will have to go without a break. Yes, 12 hours without food.
3. Nurses pay to park at work
   At my hospital, I pay $50 a month to park in a lot half a mile from the hospital. I don’t think I need to elaborate further on this one.
4. Workplace violence
   Nurses face a great deal of violence in the workplace from both coworkers as well as patients. But for now, let’s talk about the patients. Last fall, I was physically assaulted by a patient. Not long after, I took care of a patient who had a nasty habit of…ahem…pleasuring himself in front of the nurses. I remember one patient who had a list of nurses he planned to shoot once he was discharged. These patients typically face no consequences, and nurses are often gaslit with questions from management such as “What could you have done better?” followed by an online module on deescalation techniques.
5. Unsafe nurse to patient ratios
   Some states, like California, have mandated nurse-to-patient ratios. In most states, however, no such limits exist. In North Carolina, I’ve heard of nurses on medical surgical floors taking care of up to eight patients. To give you some perspective, California has deemed any more than four patients per nurse on a medical surgical floor to be unsafe.

Nurses are deeply compassionate, a quality of which has been exploited by hospitals across the country. Just because we care about our patients doesn’t mean we don’t deserve adequate breaks, pay, and safe staffing.

If you or someone you love is a nurse, give a clap and comment below what you think should be illegal about nursing. I’m ready to reveal healthcare’s dirty little secrets — are you?

*Photo by Engin_Akyurt on Pixabay